Sea Otter Classic potentially next on coronavirus' path of trade show destruction
Organisers of the Sea Otter Classic are monitoring the situation amid growing concerns around the Covid-19 virus outbreak
In an uncommon move that has seen global trade shows such as the Geneva Motor Show cancelled owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Sea Otter Classic might be following a similar path according to an announcement made by the organisers of North America's largest bicycle festival yesterday.
"We are carefully monitoring the coronavirus situation. We’ve been in discussions with various agencies to determine the best course of action regarding the 2020 Sea Otter Classic," said Frank Yohannan, president and CEO of the Sea Otter Classic.
"We will make a final decision on our position within a couple of days. As you can imagine there are many consequences to consider and we appreciate your patience."
The Sea Otter Classic would potentially comprise a host of trade shows to get the axe in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Apart from the Geneva Motor Show, the tech world's Mobile World Congress and Facebook's F8 Developer Conference have been cancelled along with the Chinese legs of both the Formula One and Formula E, as well as the final two stages of the WorldTour race, the UAE Tour.
"Our sympathy goes out to those affected by coronavirus and we extend our gratitude to all health care workers fighting to contain its spread," Yohannan said.
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Aaron was the Tech Editor Cyclingnews between July 2019 and June 2022. He was born and raised in South Africa, where he completed his BA honours at the University of Cape Town before embarking on a career in journalism. Throughout this career, Aaron has spent almost two decades writing about bikes, cars, and anything else with wheels. Prior to joining the Cyclingnews team, his experience spanned a stint as Gear & Digital editor of Bicycling magazine, as well as a time at TopCar as Associate Editor.
Now based in the UK's Surrey Hills, Aaron's life revolves around bikes. He's a competitive racer, Stravaholic, and Zwift enthusiast. He’s twice ridden the Cape Epic, completed the Haute Route Alps, and represented South Africa in the 2022 Zwift eSports World Championships.
Height: 175cm
Weight: 61.5kg
Rides: Cannondale SuperSlice Disc Di2 TT, Cannondale Supersix Evo Dura-Ace Rim, Cannondale Supersix Evo Ultegra Di2 Disc, Trek Procaliber 9.9 MTB